2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts from Czechia vs. France
Well, that was interesting.
It was easy to see Czechia vs. France on the schedule and assume it would be one-sided. But both were coming off shutout losses on Thursday and clearly had something to prove. Czechia ultimately won the game 6-3, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story.
Czechia was by far the more dominant team early on, with Martin Necas and Michal Kempny scoring goals in a period in which Czechia outshot France 14-3. The second period was where nearly everything fell apart for Czechia, though. France scored three goals on five shots, with Louis Boudon scoring two goals and an assist, while Hugo Gallet would grab the other goal to give France the shocking lead.
A total collapse by the French power play in the final minute of the second threw everything off, though. Michal Stransky scored while shorthanded to make it 4-3, stunning the French team that finally started to look confident. Filip Chlapik and Roman Cervenka scored in the third to end the night, giving Czechia its first win of the tournament.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Friday night’s action:
Czechia
#6 Michal Kempny, D: Kempny’s bid to join the Triple Gold Club resulted in his first Olympic goal. He has typically been a solid performer for his country, and his blast from the point was too quick for the French team to even realize he scored in the first period. Kempny is strong, skates well and plays with a ton of power. Today was a much better effort from him compared to Thursday, finishing the day with two points.
#12 Radek Faksa, C (Dallas Stars): Faksa wasn’t that noticeable beyond some penalty killing against Canada. Today, he had a pair of assists, and it felt like his puck play was so much more impactful. He’s still good away from the puck, and physically, he was tough to contain for the French. Not a bad effort overall.
#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): It took a while, but Pastrnak got himself on the scoresheet for the first time. He had a goal and an assist as the Czechs rallied in the second half. His skill was unmatched, and his hockey sense was the best by a mile. He just needed the right opportunity to finally get one on the board after an invisible first game against Canada.
#98 Martin Necas, RW (Colorado Avalanche): With everyone focused on Pastrnak, that allowed Necas to stand alone and take passes all game. He scored the icebreaker in the first period and then would have likely scored again on his next shift had he not been hooked on the breakaway. His speed and skill were clearly way too much for the French defenders to handle today.
France
#36 Martin Neckar, G: The 20-year-old goaltender has never represented France at the World Championship. The decision to have him start against Czechia was a bit surprising. But after the nerves settled down following a tough first period, Neckar was a difference-maker for his team. His athleticism was exceptional, and he didn’t seem to get winded by the barrage of shots from Czechia, either. Talk about a special debut.
#8 Hugo Gallet, D: Gallet entered the game with zero goals in 34 Liiga games this season. Heck, he has just two goals in 37 World Championship games. But his snipe that made it 3-2 showed you that you don’t need to be an NHL goal-scorer to have a wicked wrister. His shot sparked the entire bench, proving to the French that they could truly win this. That was a moment he’ll never forget.
#29 Louis Boudon, C: Boudon’s second period will easily go down as the best of his career. He scored on back-to-back shots and then assisted on the third goal that gave the French the shocking lead. The 27-year-old played in the AHL a little bit in 2022-23 and 2023-24, so he’s no slouch. Internationally, he entered today’s game with just two goals in 27 World Championship games. So having the period he did to lift the Fench like he did was truly special.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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